Major League Baseball players are once again shaking off the winter and hitting the field in warmer climates for spring training. But this year Los Angeles Angels centerfielder Mike Trout is using a high-tech bat to learn more about his swing.
Sports tech company Zepp has developed the Smart Bat, which measures and tracks different aspects of your swing, including impact speed, angle, swing duration and more. The sensor is integrated right into the grip of the bat, and sends its data right to your smartphone.
“Zepp lets me look at my swing’s performance and progress so I can make the adjustments to improve at the plate,” Trout told Mashable. “For me, I want to have consistency throughout the season and this is the guide.”
By tracking different data points, the Smart Bat’s sensor can give suggestions to users on areas they should look to improve, as well as how to improve those areas.
“I use it as a reference and share the data from the app with my hitting coach to see where I’m attacking the ball and if I’m staying on plane,” Trout said.
But the bat isn’t just for Trout. Zepp has partnered with other teams and baseball players, including David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox, to bring the Smart Bat to spring training. The Smart Bat can be used by anyone from little leagues to major leagues to help them analyze their swing and work on improving their game.
The new Smart Bat sensor is an improvement over Zepp’s previous swing tracker, which attached to the grip of a bat and stuck out farther than normal. The sensor is built right into the grip of an Old Hickory bat, and Zepp is working on gathering more partnerships with bat makers.
While the Smart Bat is not yet approved by the MLB for game use, Zepp is working on getting technology like this into the major leagues.
“The Smart Bat is Zepp’s vision of the next generation of sporting equipment and the next logical step to take with our sensors,” Zepp told Mashable.
Additional reporting by Samantha Murphy Kelly